When to be suspicious of prices?

So I made it out to one of the local reptile expos today and was about ready to burst into tears when I found a female lavender albino for 375 at one of the booths but didn't have the available funds (these expos always fall on my off weeks for getting paid. Curse you, biweekly pay schedule!). I hadn't been able to find one elsewhere for under 700, and it only occurred to me after I got home that that was weird. I also found 2 adult female normals for 35 each and a handful of other too-good-to-be-true deals. As a buyer, at what point do the low prices turn you away rather than draw you in? I'm a bit of a bargain hunter, and if I had the money I would probably have come home with a few new snakes before I had the thought that maybe I wasn't getting as good a deal as I thought, and I know I should be avoiding that.

Honestly, most breeders will give away Normals just because they really can't do anything with them and genetically speaking they're worthless. Don't get me wrong, I love Normals but to breeders they just take up valuable rack space.

I picked up my baby high white pied female BP from my local Petsmart for $200 on Black Friday. Her normal price was $400 but 50% for the Black Friday deal. I edged out about 3 other buyers by 10 mins or so since I was there before they even opened :D The manager told me she was a problem feeder and bit the manager 6 times but the vet they used(one of the only ABVP reptile cert vets in Washington as I know who the vet is) gave her a clean bill of health and verified she was a girl. I kind of questioned the manager thinking BS but she said I could him and ask him and he would verify it. I never called and took my chance and now as of a few days ago on her weigh in, she is 3' long and 1028g and when I bought her, she was 12" long and 102g. She ate after 2 days and hasn't quit yet and never tried to bite me or even hinted at it except when she smells a rat. Than all bets are off and she flies out of her hide.

For something like that $375 lavender, that's when buy it and hit up one of those check cashing places in a worst case scenario for a payday loan :P Sometimes you will find good deals, just depends if the person is looking to mostly just move animals if he/she needs the room bad. As for me, a really low online price would make me cautious unless it from a very reputable breeder but in person, I'd check out any low price as you get to see the snake in person before dropping any cash and if it looks at all sketchy, just walk.

Always depends on the situation.
I have had people question my normal pricing because they are $80 at the pet stores. :rofl::rofl:

I've seen normal ball pythons as low as 10 bucks at shows before. I think you get a better deal in person because you don't pay shipping and the person doesn't have to go through the hassle of driving it to the FedEx store.

I always sell my boa babies at about 15% lower than the competition just to move them and not have to continue feeding. Im not going to quibble with someone over 20-30$ if it means I have to bring the animal home from the show and keep feeding it and take up rack space. Sometimes people phase out certain projects and just move onto something else.

That being said, I would be hesitant if I couldn't inspect the animal beforehand, and if there were heterozygous genetics involved and the animal wasn't papered. The majority of people in this business are fairly reputable at least to a basic degree. However, one instance I did receive a falsely labeled het pied who turned out to have a latent RI. Point is keep your wits about you and if the animal is healthy and what you want, go for it.

O.P.:

A) Question pricing when it seems like you tripped over an unbelievable deal.

(and)

B) There is limited, or no, info on the source breeder.

(and / or)

C) There is no paperwork provided with a 'Het-anything' animal.

Often when you go to a breeder who has references (not to say a huge breeder) and pay a little more you are going to get what you pay for or more.

That said....there are screaming deals to be had here and there but if you are always after the "deal", be prepared to one day come home with someone else's problem.

Short answer to when to question a great deal:
'Always'. :) investigate the source and don't be afraid to not exchange cash for an animal if he/she is not what you expected in perfect condition.

;)
C&H

I was at the San Antonio Reptile expo 2 weekends ago and a breeder there was selling lavender albino's for 2,000. So 375 seems way under. Not that I know the normal market price for them?